Men dressed in black suits, wearing aprons, white gloves and sashes, accompanied by symbols of compasses, triangles and the all-seeing eye, gathered in mid-June at the International Masonic Peace Conference in Belgrade.
At the invitation of the Regular Grand Lodge of Serbia (RVLS), the host of the event, Freemasons from five continents assembled to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1926 peace gathering, when German and French Freemasons embraced here for the first time after the Great War. Due to their discretion, Freemasons are often criticized for operating under a veil of secrecy. Throughout history, they have brought together some of the greatest minds, which has led many to describe them as controversial power brokers working behind the scenes. During the conference, the Belgrade Peace Declaration was signed and a pyramid-shaped monument was unveiled in New Belgrade, according to Srpskainfo.com.
Grand Masters of various lodges from around the world sent messages of peace and laid wreaths at the Monument to the Unknown Hero on Mount Avala, a work by sculptor Ivan Meštrović, whom they refer to as a brother. While there are estimated to be between two and six million Freemasons worldwide, the Serbian brotherhood numbers around 2,000 “initiated people of good standing,” according to its official website. Within the RVLS, women cannot be members of lodges together with men.
The previous major international gathering in Belgrade took place on June 22, 2019, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Grand Lodge of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in Zagreb on June 9, 1919, only six months after the creation of the state bearing the same name.
Among those present in Belgrade at that time were senior officials of Grand Lodges from across the world, led by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who also serves as Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, RVLS announced. The United Grand Lodge of England is considered the “mother of all lodges,” while the Regular Grand Lodge of Serbia regards itself as the legitimate successor of the Grand Lodge of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which later changed its name to the Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia, following the state itself.
The modern French tradition, established in the 19th century, is known as co-Masonry and accepts both men and women, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica.
WHO ARE THE FREEMASONS IN SERBIA?
Freemasonry first appeared among Serbs in the final decades of the 18th century, and some of the best-known Freemasons of that era included Dositej Obradović and Prince Aleksa Nenadović, according to the RVLS website.
The first lodge on the territory of present-day Serbia was founded in 1785 in Petrovaradin under the name “Probitas,” then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Among the most prominent Freemasons in the region before 1918 were Sima Milutinović Sarajlija, Stevan Mokranjac, Stevan Sremac, Svetomir Nikolajević, Jovan Đaja and Lazar Paču.
A brief history of Grand Lodges in Yugoslavia and Serbia:
- 1912–1919: Supreme Council of Serbia
- 1919–1929: Grand Lodge of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
- 1929–1940: Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia
- 1940–1944: No lodges operated in Yugoslavia during World War II
- 1944–1990: No lodges existed under communist rule, although a Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia operated in exile between 1947 and 1967, alongside two lodges in Belgrade without ritual work
- 1990–1993: Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia
- 1993–2006: Regular Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia
- Since 2006: Regular Grand Lodge of Serbia
From the establishment of the Supreme Council of Serbia in 1912 and later the Grand Lodge of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, Đorđe Vajfert, owner of mines and breweries and twice governor of the National Bank of Serbia, served as Grand Master. Vajfert hosted the major Masonic peace conference in 1926.
Later members reportedly included Vladimir Ćorović, Gustav Krklec, Ivo Andrić (who was later expelled), Risto Stijović and Miloš Đurić. King Alexander Karađorđević the Unifier was allegedly a Freemason in France, though this has never been confirmed. Prince Paul Karađorđević, educated at Oxford, was often described as an English Freemason. The RVLS website lists him as a Freemason, although written proof has never been found, according to the book One Century of the Grand Lodge of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Yugoslavia.
After centuries of secrecy, Freemasons today maintain websites and occasionally appear in the media. They say that members of the Regular Grand Lodge of Serbia are ordinary people encountered every day in stores, workplaces and on the streets. However, apart from their own names, they do not reveal the identities of fellow members.
“We are a brotherhood of good men of good standing who pay taxes, care for their families and neighbors, and strive to make daily life radiate beauty, wisdom and strength,” Tahir Hasanović, businessman and Grand Secretary for International Relations of the RVLS, once told Politika.
The organization is led by Grand Master Lukas Rasulić, a neurosurgeon at the Clinical Center of Serbia and a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Belgrade.
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WHAT DO THEY DO?
Each member has his own profession, often accompanied by social status and financial security. Caring for others, social connection and loyalty rank among their highest priorities, they say. In addition to ritual gatherings attended only by members, charity work is considered one of the fundamental activities of Freemasons.
During the peace conference, they donated financial aid to the “Veljko Ramadanović” School for Visually Impaired Students in Zemun. Ramadanović, one of the pioneers of special education in Serbia, was also a Freemason.
WHY DO FREEMASONS SHARE THIS INFORMATION?
“To give you an opportunity to learn about Freemasonry. We do not recruit members. That is not how one becomes a Freemason. In a time of disorientation, disappearing spiritual values and deep moral decline, we believe it is our duty to point toward a spiritual outlook whose correctness we deeply believe in,” the organization states on its website.
Freemasons believe that striving toward perfection—a person with good thoughts, good words and good deeds—is already an achievement in itself.
“Our Brother Goethe said in Faust: ‘He who strives, him we can save,’” they note, revealing that the famous German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was also one of their members.
In most countries, Freemasons operate through several lodges, and Serbia has more than ten. This fragmentation is the result of historical divisions and schisms.
DISCRETION AND PREJUDICE
“Prejudices persist because there is insufficient knowledge about the significance and beauty of the brotherhood,” Hasanović told Politika, while acknowledging that part of the reason lies in the mystique surrounding the organization.
“Freemasonry is discreet, but it is not a secret society. Discretion is necessary because Freemasons have historically faced persecution, and the essence of Freemasonry is that an individual can improve the world through self-improvement and positive influence on their surroundings,” he said.
Although the organization is often associated with social and financial influence, its website emphasizes that members should not expect any personal benefit from joining. On the contrary, members pay annual dues, which according to media reports amounted to around €150 per year in 2016.
When confronted with accusations that they influence governments and decide who rules the world, Serbian Freemasons have a ready response.
“The relationship of all Masonic lodges toward the state is regulated by the first English Masonic law of 1723, known as the Old Charges. It states: ‘A Mason is a peaceful citizen of the state wherever he lives and works. He shall never engage in rebellion or conspiracy against the peace of the nation.’”
Nevertheless, reports detailing the content of their meetings rarely appear in the media.
The Regular Grand Lodge of Serbia maintains temples in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Subotica, Sremska Mitrovica, Zrenjanin, Vršac, Valjevo, Smederevo, Kragujevac, Ćuprija, Zaječar and Niš.
Freemasons gather in temples they call “lodges,” a name derived from the shelters used by medieval stonemasons while working on churches and cathedrals. The symbolic aprons they wear reflect Freemasonry’s alleged evolution from stonecutters’ guilds.
FROM SILICON VALLEY TO LONDON
According to the website of the United Grand Lodge of England, the world’s first Grand Lodge was established in London on June 24, 1717, by four lodges.
Notable Freemasons in Great Britain included Winston Churchill, Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling and Oscar Wilde, according to the BBC.
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Source: Telegraf; Foto: SrpskaInfo / Ustupljene fotografije